This invention relates to automated animal feed systems, and in particular to a feed gate arrangement for make-up feeder units, such as corner hoppers, and the like.
Feeder units are used in conjunction with automated animal feed systems, such as for poultry and the like, and add fresh, make-up feed to the conveyor. One type of feeder unit is designed to be located at a corner of the conveyor, such as the mechanism disclosed in Big Dutchman Instruction Manual No. 10-BK-0005, which is hereby incorporated by reference, and is referred to in the trade as a "corner hopper".
Such corner hoppers include an inclined receptacle with a remix wheel or sprocket mounted in the base thereof, which meters additional feed onto the conveyor chain. A sluice-type feed gate is mounted in the outlet trough of the conveyor, and selectively controls the level of feed on the conveyor chain, in accordance with the length of the conveyor, and the rate at which the feed is being consumed.
Heretofore, feed gates have been mounted on the interior of the corner hopper housing, adjacent to the chain drive sprocket as shown in FIGS. 1, 16 and on page 10 of the aforementioned Big Dutchman Instruction Manual No. 10-BL-0005. Hence, to adjust feed level on the conveyor chain, the user is required to bodily remove the housing cover, loosen the wing nut on the interior plate of the housing, and then adjust the position of the gate. The housing cover plates are sometimes lost or misplaced, thereby permitting foreign objects to enter into the corner hopper and damage the unit. Further, the failure of the user to promptly replace the housing cover can possibly create a safety hazard, as can the proximity of the adjustment wing nut to the drive sprocket, and the tendency of users to adjust the feed gate when the conveyor is operating, even though such procedures are not recommended and even proscribed.